Dr. Robert Hartwig stepping down as I.I.I. President to accept academic post

NEW YORK –Dr. Robert Hartwig (pictured at right), an economist and the president of the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) since 2007, announced recently he is leaving this summer to join the faculty of the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.

“My decision to leave the Institute was an extremely difficult one. I love this job, this industry and the daily thrill and privilege of working with amazing people both at the organization itself and throughout the I.I.I.’s membership,” Dr. Hartwig said. “At the same time, I have throughout my 23 year career in the insurance world always maintained strong ties to the academic community. After 18 years at the Institute, now is the right time for me — both personally and professionally — to make a change. I am truly looking forward to my next important role — attracting and educating young talent to this vitally important industry.”

Dr. Hartwig was the I.I.I.’s chief economist before becoming the industry-supported nonprofit communications organization’s president. Prior to joining the Institute, Dr. Hartwig held a number of key roles at Swiss Re, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) and the United States’ Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Effective August 2016, Dr. Hartwig will become a faculty member in the University of South Carolina’s Finance Department, housed within the Columbia, S.C.-based institution’s Darla Moore School of Business. The University of South Carolina has the fourth-largest undergraduate Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) program in the United States.

Dr. Hartwig will teach courses in risk management, insurance and corporate finance, including courses in the Moore School’s highly regarded professional MBA program. Dr. Hartwig, who has a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation, will also become co-director of the Moore School’s Risk and Uncertainty Management Center.

“Bob Hartwig has done an extraordinary job as president of the I.I.I., and finding a successor to fill his shoes will be a daunting task,” said Bruce Kelley, president and chief executive officer of EMC Insurance Companies in Des Moines, Iowa, and chairman of the I.I.I.’s board of directors. “Under Dr. Hartwig’s leadership, the I.I.I. bolstered its position as a thought leader in the industry and expanded dramatically the audiences who have access to the I.I.I.’s award-winning editorial content, data and subject matter expertise. More than ever before, the I.I.I. is excelling in its mission to improve the understanding of insurance — what it does and how it works.” Members of the I.I.I.’s board will serve as part of a search committee to find the I.I.I.’s next president, Kelley added.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Robert Hartwig, the current president of the Insurance Information Institute and an internationally known risk and insurance economist, join the Darla Moore School of Business faculty starting this fall,” said Dr. Peter Brews, dean of the school. “In his roles at the Insurance Information Institute over the past 18 years, Dr. Hartwig has informed and influenced numerous legislators, regulators and industry executives about important issues related to risk and insurance. He will continue to serve in this important role, but also focus on educating the next generation of leaders in the risk and insurance field. Dr. Hartwig will strengthen our thought leadership and our highly ranked undergraduate risk and insurance management program at the Moore School,” Dr. Brews continued. “He will also serve as co-director of the School’s Risk and Uncertainty Management (RUM) Center.”

“I have been very fortunate to lead an organization with many talented individuals, allowing the Insurance Information Institute to develop a stellar reputation worldwide in the industry. I am also very proud to say I will leave the Institute with its largest membership ever, and positioned for future success,” Dr. Hartwig said. The I.I.I.’s outgoing president will retain a formal relationship with the organization, periodically writing research reports, delivering presentations, working with the media and offering testimony to public policymakers on the I.I.I.’s behalf.